Together
by trascendenza
Summary: Snapshots of what Richard and Kal El might be like in a relationship. Very fluffy and smutty slash.
1. Chapter 1: Getting in Late

**Author's Note:** So... build-up is fun. But the build-up in my other story, High Altitude, is starting to make my eyes twitch a little. Hence, here Richard and Kal-El are together with a capital T. :-)

**THIS IS SLASH! ** And the next chapter is not just mild slash, either. Consider yourself appropriate warned.

* * *

Kal-El closed and latched the window behind him; Richard had been kind enough to leave it unlocked. He floated into the room, straightening out and dropping his cape onto the chair. Five bank robberies, two hold ups, and one clown incident later he was ready to lie down with a good book—at least until the next cry came. He could hear that Jason was fast asleep downstairs, the neighborhood was quiet; he slipped off his boots and dropped them next to the chair, the red material vibrating slightly as it settled, and his aim was of course perfect so that everything came off neatly. Turning to the bed, he smiled when he saw Richard. Two years and it never ceased to amaze him how the sight of Richard affected him, especially like this—asleep, a book propped open on his chest, glasses halfway down his nose, head fallen down onto his right shoulder and his expression utterly relaxed, open, and peaceful. He was still wearing his work clothes, white button-up shirt open halfway down his chest and black slacks and black dress socks making it seem like he would hop out of bed any second and go cover a story. Kal-el drifted over, coming to a standstill just above Richard, lowering himself down incrementally until their bodies lined up, and kept his hands clasped together at the small of his back. 

"Mmm, is that you?" Richard mumbled without opening his eyes, smiling sleepily. Kal-El just leaned down in answer, aligning up their smiles until they matched up and gave him a soft kiss, lips gently parting, deepening it as Richard woke up. The book slipped off his chest as Richard started to prop himself up on his arms, raising up to meet Kal-El, but Kal-El caught it quickly and tossed it across the room so it landed on the bookcase, closed and title-side up, and in one continuous motion he brought his arm up and around Richard's back. He smoothly changing their positions so that he was lying down and Richard was on top of him, legs intertwined and his hands now on the small of Richard's back.

"Hello to you, too," Richard said, laughing into his mouth, blue eyes sparkling with mirth and cleared of all sleep. His brown locks were tousled, a bit flattened on the right and falling over his forehead.

Kal-El let his head drop back onto the pillow, arching a dark eyebrow. "How do you always know as soon as I'm there? I can tell you for a fact that I do not make _any_ noise."

Richard shrugged, "Just do. I can feel those super eyes of yours boring into me." He chuckled, "Plus, you're The Living Space Heater, anyone could feel that from a mile off." He brought a hand up and brushed at a lock of Kal-El's hair, not that it was out of place—never out of place—but just for the sake of touching. Their eyes met, mirror images of soaring skies and still waters, and seconds later their lips crashed together, hands scrabbling on each other's faces, devouring each other's mouths and pressing their bodies close, closer, until it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Kal-El loosened Richard's shirt, bringing his broad hands under it, splayed his fingers and ran them across Richard's back, and then slipped a hand into his pants, pulling his hips down hard.

Richard ground his hips to the guidance of Kal-El's hand, trailing kisses down his neck and whispering in his ear, "You are going to be here for a little while, aren't you? Or are you trying to get me to roast your ass for dinner tomorrow?"

"I think I could spare an hour to keep my ass from being roasted."

"Good." Richard said, growling low, "Now get the hell out of that suit before I tear it to shreds."

He didn't even have time to finish the sentence before his request was satisfied.


	2. Chapter 2: Delicious Dereliction

**Author's Note:** This is kind of PWP. Oh, what am I saying, it _is_ PWP. :-) These boys are fun, such fun to write.

* * *

Richard's head slid forward, eyes fluttering, jerking back up quickly and blinking widely, only to repeat the process all over again. The pen had dropped from his fingers long ago, his sentence cut off at "institutiona–"; the "a" swirling off into a series of lie-detector spikes and squiggles. 

"Can't… fall…" he mumbled in a sleep-clogged voice, slumping forward onto his desk.

He woke to an insistent tapping on his shoulder, groaning and lifting his head to see Jimmy hunched over his desk conspiratorially, eyes glancing back and forth as if on the look out.

"Mr. White hasn't seen you yet!" he whispered, "But you better wake up, Mindy can't keep him looking at those pictures of her cats forever, sir."

Richard patted him on the shoulder, still struggling to keep his eyes open, "Thanks, Jimmy, a power-nap was just what I needed. I should be fine now." His huge yawn belied the truth of that statement.

Jimmy waggled his eyebrows, somehow looking simultaneously scandalized and gleeful, "Long night with Mr. Clark?"

Richard laughed lightly. "You could say that." They'd suffered _coitus heroicus interruptus_ not once, not twice, but _five_ times last night. (One of the reasons they were the largest sponsors of the police and fire department of the city.) He'd eventually fallen asleep holding his pillow in a death grip; he'd actually woken up this morning to find himself biting it.

Richard didn't like eating pillows.

"Never fear, sir, I'll keep an eye on you." He gave Richard double thumbs-up, looking distinctly like he belonged in a spearmint chewing gum commercial, and without missing a beat, grimaced and then slapped his forehead, "Oops, better go make sure Mindy's okay!" He hurried out of the office, winking at Richard over his shoulder.

Richard laughed, got up, walking after Jimmy at a slower pace. Coffee was beyond necessary at this point. After he'd grabbed a mug of the bitter brew he stopped by the water cooler–he liked to think that if he drank equal amounts of coffee and water it would all even out at the end of the day. His gaze wandered around the office–everyone seemed to be hard at work–except for Clark, who wasn't at his desk. He looked over to the store room closet and his suspicions were immediately confirmed when a thin line of light appeared under the door.

He and Clark had made an agreement that they would consider The Daily Planet an official "no man's land." In other words, they had to behave when they were here. It made sense, a lot of sense, actually–firstly because this was their professional workplace, secondly because the incessant gossip-mongering and speculation about them needed no fuel. Richard would be the first to say that hormones shouldn't dictate their actions and they were both responsible adults who could wait for a more appropriate time and place. But Richard and his sorely neglected cock were in unanimous agreement that this situation called for some fine print about pillow-eating and trying to work on a half hour of sleep when you had a naked Kryptonian dancing around in your head. There was only so much one man could take.

Besides–the closet had a sturdy lock, surprisingly sturdy for such unimportant contents. Not that Richard had checked. Twice.

He poured the liquids down the grid in the water cooler and ditched the mugs, adjusting his tie as he walked in what he hoped wasn't a hurried manner to the closet, suppressing a self-satisfied grin. He rapped on the door in three sets of two only to have it open and feel himself pulled in before he finished.

"I can see it's you, there's no need to knock like that," Kal-El rumbled, fingering Richard's tie, eyes sparkling, nearly glowing under the dim overhead bulb swinging pathetically from the ceiling. He was half-in half-out of his white work shirt, black tie hanging loose around the collar; it framed the sinuous red S on his suit nicely. His hair was ruffled and falling over his forehead, glasses perched low on his nose.

"Logic has no place in the world of intrigue and top secret closet liaisons," Richard quipped, reaching behind him to snap the lock into place.

"What are you doing?" Kal-El asked mildly, raising an eyebrow.

Richard noted that Kal-El hadn't let go of his tie–this might be easier than he'd anticipated. "No more interruptions," he whispered, closing the distance between them, not a difficult task in such a small space.

"But we–"

"I thought we agreed no logic." Richard placed his hands on Kal-El's hips, gripping firmly and pushing him insistently against the back wall. Unable to stop himself, he ground his groin into Kal-El's, breath coming faster, head nestling into the small of Kal-El's neck.

"Please don't say no," he said, already undone by the touch of velveted steel.

Kal-El's neck arched back, hips jack-knifing under Richard's touch; his voice sounded like threads unraveling, "…you know I can never say no to you."

Richard needed no more impetus to unsnap the suit, letting Kal-El deal with the rest while he fumbled with his own buttons. Before he was halfway down the shirt, though, Kal-El ripped it the middle, buttons scattering like hail. He pressed Richard against the opposite wall, their bare chests meeting smooth as their lips came together in a seamless join, his hands cupping Richard's face, stroking through his hair reverently. Richard returned the kiss with ferocity, raking his fingers over the bunched muscle's of Kal-El's back and shoulders; the heat flowed along his nerves in electrical waves, trails like negative afterimages following the path of Kal-El's blunt fingertips.

He only had to tug once at the lower half of Kal-El's suit to dispose of it (all neatly folded on the table, he was guessing), and his own belt buckle and zipper were soon taken care of. He smiled when he felt strong hands wrap around him from behind, fingers kneading into his ass and lifting him up; he instinctively wrapped his legs around Kal-El's waist. The fit was perfect.

He groaned deep when he felt Kal-El's need brushing against him, twining his fingers into that thick black hair and holding on for dear life.

"You don't know how many times I've thought about doing this," Kal-El said, hoarse, tearing open the thin sample package with his teeth from the emergency stash that they kept on hand for times much like this, squeezing it out into his palm.

Richard leaned forward, biting the soft flesh of Kal-El's neck, sucking gently and working up to just under his ear, nipping at the earlobe and breathing words leaden with lust, "My goal is that you'll never be able to look at this closet again and think of anything else." He ran his hands over Kal-El's chest, thumbs tracing circles over the grooves of muscle, and then let them find their place just under his shoulder blades, settling in as he felt Kal-El prepare underneath him.

"Aahhhh," Kal-El hissed as he entered with painstaking care, trying to keep his control. His hands gripped a vise on Richard's waist, pulling them somehow closer with each inch, so close it seemed that their hearts must be beating in time. Richard inhaled sharply at the sensation, tongue running over his lips, swallowing hard to try and keep quiet. It just felt so fucking good. Richard's heart punched staccato beats against the inside of his chest at the sight of Kal-El–jaw clenched, neck drawn taut, eyes closed so tight that they were starbursts–while the pressure began to tighten inside him, forcing him to roll slow waves, trying bring the sensation closer to his need, urgency mounting as his overwrought skin begged for relief.

"Stop holding back," Richard gasped, sliding down without warning until Kal-El was buried, sheathed full. Kal-El took a deep shuddering breath that vibrated through Richard's whole body, raising his head and looking at Richard like a sinner begging for repentance. The voltage snapped and crackled along their connected gaze, opening the gateways and letting loose the fervency of their want. They collided in desperation to be near, mouths devouring one another, clinched so hard that even air could not pass between them, hands hungrily roaming on flushed skin, nails digging deep into muscle. Richard lost all awareness when he felt Kal-El's hand encircle him, long fingers fitted to the length of him, thumb finding all his melting points and stroking them to madness. The slick-wet heat stoked into an inferno, radiating in ripples from the points where he and Kal-El were connected, roaring in his ears and singing in his blood.

"_Christ_ Kal-El…" Richard threw his head back; he vaguely heard it thud against the wall, but didn't feel a thing, his whole being pulsing with convulsive release that swept him from his head down to his feet, toes curling so hard the joints cracked, every tendon in him stretching out to its full length and then tensing. When he clenched around Kal-El the wall disappeared behind his head and Kal-El let out a strangled, "Richard," his hips seizing and bucking in response, mouth fallen open in a silent cry. His body arched in a continuous crescent line against Richard and they floated off the ground, moving higher with each trembling aftershock, suspended mid-air as Kal-El spasmed inside him. They slowly drifted down to the ground, relaxing, tension uncoiling as the force of the wave receded; Kal-El laid down flat on his back, his huge height taking up all the space of the closet floor. He opened his eyes after a bit, lazily rubbing his hands over Richard's thighs, sighing softly. Richard adjusted his legs and leaned over, melting onto Kal-El's firm frame, jelly-limbed and utterly spent. He lingered in a semi-slumbering state for an indeterminate amount of time, smiling when Kal-El's arms wrapped around him. As always, there was no place in the world he felt safer than here.

He roused when Kal-El kissed him tenderly on the forehead, murmuring with a grin against his ear, "Hell, if this's what it's like living in the closet, I don't think I ever want to come out."


	3. Chapter 3: Bed and Breakfast

Richard grabbed the waffle from the iron with his thumb and finger, throwing it rapidly behind him, confident that Kal-El would catch it. 

"You could warn me, you know," Kal-El said around a mouthful of waffle.

"That would take the fun out it, wouldn't it?" Richard replied, tossing back another and slicing some more butter to grease up the iron.

"I don't think this is what my father meant when he said I'd come to earth for great purposes."

"I beg to differ, my dear Kryptonian. I think that waffle-catching and dispensing is the height of any sentient race."

"So if Jason can master that then we don't need to send him to private school anymore?"

"You never know, it may be his first power to manifest." The batter sizzled as Richard poured it onto the hot metal.

"I hadn't even thought about what I was hoping he'd develop first. I think waffle-catching may take the cake on this one."

"Cakes taking waffles? Is that kosher?"

"Now you're just being contrary."

"Speaking of contrary, where is the little bugger?"

"Jasooooooooon!" Kal-El hollered, his 's' half-swallowed by masticated waffle flesh. He cocked his head to the side, "He says he'll be down in a minute… I think he's having one of those moments with his q-tip."

"Is three times a day excessive, you think? I mean, hygiene is great and all, but…"

"I'm sure it's just a phase. I went through a few interesting ones as a kid."

Richard set the top down, wiping his hands on the towel. Turning to Kal-El, he raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Kal-El's mouth quirked. "Let's just say there wasn't a pair of pants that could hold me."

Richard tried to suppress his smile but failed. "You know I'm going to ask your mom about this next time I see her."

Kal-El's wrinkled his nose, smelling blackmail. "I bet she has pictures, too."

"That's what mothers are for. Although I don't suppose pictures of Jason holding up q-tips proudly will be funny to anyone but us ten years from now."

"Won't stop me from taking them every chance I get."

Richard grinned. "Me neither."

The devil they were speaking of hopped into the room. Richard grabbed a waffle and tossed it under his back, "Think fast!" Jason threw both arms out wide and froze so Kal-El ended up grabbing it before it fell to the ground. He took the waffle from Kal-El's hands sheepishly. "Sorry, pop, I guess maybe I should try pitching for baseball this year?"

Kal-El ruffled his hair, "You play whatever part you want, Jason. Practice makes perfect."

Jason looked over at Richard, "Dad, I thought you said clichés weren't true."

Richard poured him a glass of orange juice, trying to sound serious, "Well, unless one of your parents is saying it. Then they're always true."

"That doesn't make any sense, dad."

"It doesn't have to."

Kal-El interjected, "But you should always think critically about the world around you, son."

Jason looked back and forth between them and answered by stuffing a waffle in his mouth.

"Chew with your—" Kal-El realized he was talking around a mouthful of food and aborted the admonition.

"_Both _ of you chew with your mouths closed, please," Richard said, waggling a finger. He turned the iron off, plopped down a full plate of steaming waffles and sat at the table with them.

"You all packed? Vince is coming to get you, he'll take you to school today."

"Does Vince think critically about the world, pop?"

Kal-El sipped his milkshake carefully. "I think he must, to get his job doing… whatever it is he does."

"I think he sells robot dogs to Tokyo."

They both looked at Richard quizzically. He threw his hands up, laughing, "Okay, okay, I think he just supervises the people who do that."

"Do you think I'll get a robot dog for Christmas?" Jason asked, eyes already glittering with thoughts of the terror he could wreak with such a wonderful device.

"I can guarantee you that you will _not _ be getting one of those for Christmas. And if you do it's staying at Mom's house, we have a strict no robot dog policy here."

"But we might be getting you something even better than that." Kal-El said, leaning forward conspiratorially. "But only if you're good 'till then."

"What happens if I'm bad?"

"Coal," Richard said solemnly, cutting his waffle like the only civilized male in the house.

"You say that every year, dad."

"And you've been good every year up 'till now. That's a trend you don't want to go breaking."

"I got coal one year," Kal-El said, frowning at the memory.

"No," Jason said incredulously. "Grandma wouldn't."

Kal-El laughed. "It was actually a rock from the site where I crashed the day I came to earth. But when I opened that stocking up I was so mad I went and ate every cookie I'd left under the tree for Santa. Then they really wished they'd given me coal."

"Is that the rock that's on your nightstand, pop?"

"That's the one. So if you get coal in your stocking think twice before you go making yourself sick on cookies."

Richard and Kal-El grabbed the dishes, putting them in the sink and clearing off the table. "Wanna go get your bag, Jason? Vince'll be here any minute."

Jason ran off into the other room, and Richard slunk up behind Kal-El as he stood in front of the fridge, running his hands underneath the loose t-shirt. "Come home early tonight," he said quietly, detaching just as Jason came back, backpack and daybag in hand. Kal-El cleared his throat and let the cool air of the fridge wash over him for a minute longer than necessary before shutting it.

"C'mere champ!" Richard said, grabbing Jason and tossing him up into the air. "You be good for them, you hear? You know Mom doesn't know what it's like for us guys."

"Do I _have _ to go shopping with her?"

"You'll have to take that up with her, sonny." Richard handed him over to Kal-El's outstretched arms. Kal-El gave him a kiss on the forehead and just then the doorbell rang, Vince's signature long short long short. They exchanged quick pleasantries, Vince flashing his incandescent smile and shaking both their hands though he'd been married to Lois well over sixth months now. Richard and Kal-El agreed that she'd made a good choice; Vince was reliable but fun, rich but not flashy, ambitious but not ruthless. He was a good balance for Lois and was proving himself to be a good role model for Jason, which was what they cared about most of all, at the end of the day.

"See you next week!" They said, waving as Vince's BMW took Jason to school. They simultaneously checked their watches and swore when they saw they had to get to work.

"Tonight." Kal-El said, his man of steel voice shooting straight through Richard's sensibilities.

Richard can only nod and pray that there won't be any disasters tonight.

* * *

Strong hands twined around Richard's midsection, fingers gripping tight on his waist and pulling him back; he stumbled a little and dropped the newspaper he had just picked up off the dining table.

"You've got quite some nerve, interrupting the sacred reading time," he said, turning his head around to face Kal-El, who had most likely just gotten home.

"I've been out saving this city from the scum of the Earth and this is the welcome I get?" Kal-El said, snickering, running his hand up Richard's chest, fingers dipping into the holes between the buttons. Richard felt his body react instantaneously; he could feel the shape of Kal-El pressed up against him, every contour and curve of his warm and hard body. The suit fit him like a second skin, blessedly hiding nothing.

"And what were you expecting Mr. 'I can't use cell phones in the lower atmosphere'? There's really no way for me to know when you'll be back." He let his head fall back a bit, closing his eyes, running his fingers along the hips that were cradling his, fingers digging into the soft blue fabric. They'd established long ago that not only did Richard not mind the suit… he quite liked it. He didn't know what it was exactly, but there was something unduly erotic about touching the fabric that no one else on Earth knew as intimately. It was one of the softest things he'd ever felt.

"Hmmm," Kal-El nuzzled into his neck, leaving ephemeral trails of heat where his breath came out. "I was thinking—bed," he worked a hand halfway past Richard's belt, growling a little, "None of these pesky things," and with his other hand unbuttoned Richard's shirt all in the blink of an eye and tossed it away, "Just… you." He licked up Richard's shoulder line, tongue teasing his earlobe. "And that's about when I stopped thinking and started flying home."

Richard smiled, eyes fluttering when Kal-El hit that spot, biting it just hard enough so that every word was a struggle, "Well that… sounds… _ahhh _… good to me."

Kal-El nibbled up Richard's jaw, tongue flicking to soothe over the bite marks, then whispered in a low rumble, "Good to you? Is that a yes, then, Mr. White?" His hand slid lower down Richard's front, fingertips brushing the curled hairs that peeked out from the falling waistline of his pants.

Richard rotated his hips upward, taking a deep breath, determined to have the last word for once, "Only if I can bring the newspaper upstairs," he managed to get out before his heart started pounding out an impossibly fast beat inside his chest. Kal-El growled low in his chest—Richard felt the vibrations dancing up and along his spine—and in a blur of motion they were on their bed, Richard flat on his back and Kal-El next to him, lying on his side.

Kal-El had shed the cloak but not the suit; he straddled Richard, tugging at his pants down ferociously, "Sacred—" he threw the pants straight into the closet without even looking, "reading—" next went the boxers and socks, "time—" and when Richard was completely naked except for his tie, Kal-El brought his mouth down close to hover over Richard's, "—my _ass_." With a predatory smile Kal-El leaned in for a consuming kiss, crushing their lips together and stealing out every last bit of air, lowering himself so skin met textured fabric; the feathery contact sparked all of Richard's nerves to life. Grabbing him fiercely by the hips, Richard switched their positions, slamming Kal-El flat onto his back and sitting atop him, legs spread.

"I'm afraid your ass has sorrowfully little to do with sacred reading time. But," He loosened the tie, pulling it over his head, "You know that I cannot let your transgression go unpunished." Grabbing Kal-El's wrist, he positioned them over his head, a spectacularly fine triangle of muscled flesh, "Make this easy on yourself and don't resist."

Kal-El licked his lips, eyelids fluttering, grinding his hips up into Richard. "What will you do if I resist?"

"You can't even begin to imagine." Richard laced the tie around his wrists in tight shackles, securing impossibly tight knots. Kal-El's arms flexed but did not break the bonds; he was, for all intents and purposes, at Richard's mercy. He nearly trembled with the knowledge.

"Well… I am a man of the law…" He groaned when Richard worked his hands under the suit, kneading hard along his hipbones and working the pants down slowly.

Kal-El's body arched off the bed under Richard's touch, pulling taut as his hands worked closer to their goal.

"Ah ah ah, no moving. Not unless I say you can." Richard's hands stilled until Kal-El fell back onto the bed; they locked eyes, crackling electricity singing the air.

Kal-El's lips fell open in supplication, eyes laden heavy with lust. "I guess I'll just have to let you have your way with me."

"That's more like it," Richard whispered, hoarse, tearing the pants off the rest of the way, spreading his legs and kneeling between them, scratching his fingers deep into Kal-El's thighs, knew he liked it rough. He glanced up, saw Kal-El's head thrown back, his throat muscles straining, mouth open and deep and jagged sounds tumbling out. Richard drank in the sight, his body throbbing with the knowledge that he had this power, burning the image onto his retina so that even when he lowered his head and took Kal-El it remained, driving him to new heights as he tasted the sweet-salty-madness, all his senses filled to bursting. He ran his tongue along the smooth length, savoring every inch, one hand on Kal-El's hip and the other slid around back directing their rhythm, a slow-rolling momentum that built with their matching need. Richard heard and felt Kal-El's fists bang against the wall—it shook the whole bed—and with one last long caress, he slid up, drawing out the process and lingering until he knew that Kal-El was on the verge of killing him.

He walked closer to the head of the bed on his hands and knees, leaning in for a quick and dirty kiss, their mouths scrabbling and hungry, and without breaking stride he leaned back and slid down onto Kal-El with one fluid motion, bringing all that unearthly heat as deep as he could; their moans ripped through the air in synchronicity. Richard braced his arms on Kal-El's legs, moving slow and steady with each downthrust he brought Kal-El closer to that spot that would be the end of him. They moved together like poetry, their cadence and movements singing kinetic pleasure, together even when their bodies arched apart, connected through the slick physical heat and more, an insatiable want that strummed deep in their bones; it was an ache that only eased in the moments of their pure abandon, coils that lit when skin touched skin, when rhythm met matching rhythm. And together they rose, high into the thin air that sent shivers trembling down their spines, starlight cascading down their skin and falling from their eyes, a pulse that beat so strong they moved without thought to it, Richard bearing down with all his strength, back bent impossibly far back, Kal-El surging under him, fingers digging literal furrows into the plaster of the wall, and finally Richard surrendered, taking all of Kal-El that he could, screaming with waves of nova-like ferocity that singed him through and through. He heard the faint sound of fabric tearing through the roar of blood in his ears; Kal-El shuddered underneath him and they floated back down onto the bed.

Richard fell forward onto Kal-El's chest, a satisfied smile curling on his lips when he felt strong arms wrap around him, the tattered bits of his tie still circled around the wrists. He propped himself up with great effort, arms quivering, and planted light kisses on Kal-El's cheeks, eyes, lips. He ran a finger along those lips, full, swollen from his earlier ministrations, and along those eyelids, feather-soft and flawlessly smooth. Beautiful.

"I love you."

They had whispered it in unison and fell into a kiss that said it all, and more.


	4. Chapter 4: Wings in the Sky

**Note: **This chapter is a little different from the other three but I hope it still works. The second part of this chapter was written to fulfill a challenge posted at the livejournal SR slash community: Richard singing to Jason.

* * *

"Richard."

"Hmm?" Richard asked, newspaper folded back in one hand and a piece of toast poised before his mouth in the other.

"I was wondering…" Kal-El glanced up at him quickly and then went back to cutting carefully around the yolk of his egg.

"Wondering what?" He set down the newspaper and focused his attention back to the present moment.

"Well," Kal-El chewed on the food far more carefully than necessary, still not making eye contact, "…you like going up, right?"

Richard resisted the urge to leer and instead nodded with a smile. "'Love' is more like it."

The fork tines came dangerously close to releasing a flood of yellow yolk over his plate. Richard thought he might re-cook the egg with all the attention he was focusing on it. "We could go higher than we did… last time." Even though Richard couldn't hear it, he knew that Kal-El was shuffling his feet under the table. You could take the farm boy out of Kansas but you couldn't take Kansas out of the farm boy.

"How?"

"If we go up slowly enough it shouldn't hurt you. And you can breathe… my air." Kal-El gestured to his chest area as if that explained everything.

"You can take a breath that deep?" Richard's eyebrows shot up when Kal-El nodded.

"It would be enough to last us for at least a half hour, probably more."

Richard chewed on his toast, trying to conceive the logistics of the situation and also because he loved watching his large Kryptonian squirm.

Finally, he grinned. "So when do we fly?"

* * *

It wasn't long before the buildings and cars looked like mere toys below them, pieces placed carefully on a playing board—that just happened to move on their own, in the case of the cars. 

"This is gorgeous," Richard said, breathe coming with a little more difficulty but not yet struggling.

"Wait until you see," Kal-El said in what Richard thought of as his "I just saved the day but no need to thank me, ma'am," voice which pitched just perfectly to set off all the neurons that controlled his libido.

"Not much choice, now," He said, trying to take his mind of all the unwise things he'd like to be doing with his hands right now.

They paused mid-rise. "Just say the word, Richard."

Richard smiled, touched by the concern. "Don't mind me, first flight jitters 's all."

"Well, not quite," Kal-El amended, biting his lip.

Those naughty things clamored in the forefront of Richard's mind when he stared too long at those lips. "But that was nothing like this… and we've already gone higher than before." His breathing was definitely labored now, in part because of the thinning atmosphere and in part because of his very clear memory of their first time together in the air.

"Here," Kal-El leaned in, hands gripping firmer on his waist, "Let me help you."

He angled his head, bringing his lips to meet Richard's, pressing them lightly. It took Richard a minute to get used to the idea of breathing into Kal-El's mouth—the air was warm and tasted like nothing Richard had ever encountered on Earth—but when he got the hang of it, his lightheadedness abated and he was able to open his eyes to the glory around him.

When he moved his head Kal-El angled easily to accommodate him, so he could see what they were leaving behind below, a scattering of civilization that seemed like nothing up here, and then there was a damp all around them as they were engulfed in the body of a cloud; it felt like walking in the thickest fog he could ever imagine. Despite their height he felt no change in the temperature, the heat radiating off Kal-El and none of the cold leeching in. He didn't understand the science of it but he dug his fingers gratefully into the giving texture of the suit as they rose further.

They emerged from the cloud gradually, light catching the droplets like prisms, a sky full of rainbow just before they stopped, suspended in the sharp crystalline blue, stretching to the reaches of the horizon. He craned his head back; the radiance dominated the sky in a stunning vista, blazing corona of golden fire around a pure center of white, waves of light washing down over them both as they floated poised below the noontime sun.

He brought his head level, vision spotted with white flares because he'd stared too long at the sight—one he'd seen many times through the protection of glass but it couldn't compare to this, nothing could compare to this. Blinking the spots away, he felt himself grinning into Kal-El, and tentatively brought his left hand up to his face, confident that Kal-El would be able to support him; he couldn't say _thank you_ with and so let his body speak for him.

As stunning as this was, one of the most precious gift that Kal-El could give him, it was nothing compared to what was right before him. He looked into the soul of the sky and felt tears prick his eyes that had nothing to do with the thin air; he pressed his lips into a true kiss, molding his body against the warmth and light and strongest part of his life that had nothing to do with the physical strength contained in the other man's body. They spun slowly in the ether, skimming the crest between the stars and the sky together, melding the horizons of their bodies until they breathed in time without even thinking about it.

When they touched down on earth, their kiss touched down with them.

* * *

Kal-El came up behind Richard, wrapping a hand loosely around his waist, leaning his head lightly down on the other man's shoulder. He smiled when he saw Jason sitting on the couch, textbook clenched tight in his small hands, pencil falling from between his fingers. 

"Math homework didn't agree with him?" He inquired, placing a light kiss on Richard's jaw.

He felt Richard smile against his forehead. "Not this set. He breezed right through his spelling, though, you think we've got a little reporter on our hands?"

"If he starts trying to interview me you know which side of the family I'm going to blame."

Richard punched him in the shoulder but ended up pulling him into a kiss, smiling against Kal-El's lips when he felt that there was no milliskin under the dress shirt. That would come in handy later.

He placed a finger on Kal-El's chest and leaned back, a little flushed but still well under control, "C'mon, gotta take the little munchkin up to bed."

Kal-El looked over at their sleeping boy. "Shall I fly him up?"

"Only if you want to spoil him silly."

Kal-El went to pick him up, gently placing the book on the coffee table and bookmarking it with the pencil. "Sounds about right to me," he said with a grin, lifting Jason into his arms.

Richard rolled his eyes but Kal-El knew he was secretly pleased. They might not agree on all aspects of parenting—proper age to date girls and the necessity of good hard farm labor to a boy's development came to mind—but on this they were in accord. With all the challenges that lay ahead for him they both knew that he deserved all the spoiling they could squeeze in while he was still young.

"You go on ahead, I'll be up in a minute," Richard said, setting to straightening the living room.

Kal-El cradled Jason closer—his eyes fluttered but he didn't fully wake—and slowly gravitated up the stairs. By the time they'd reached the bed Jason was stirring, "Pop, I'm not sleepy," he murmured, yawning hugely.

"I know, just helping you get more comfortable, is all," he soothed, laying Jason down onto the bed and quickly grabbing pajamas to change him into.

He rubbed his fists into his eyes and looked around. "Where's daddy? He was teaching me about… um…" Jason's brow crinkled with the effort to remember.

"He's coming," Kal-El said—Richard's footfalls were ascending the steps as they spoke—and he slipped the blue shirt off Jason around another yawn, replacing it with the ever-favored planes and train set pair.

"Not sleepy," Jason said again, actually looking a little more awake this time.

"Not sleepy, champ?" Richard asked as he walked in the door, coming to sit on the other side of the bed.

"Nope," Jason said shaking his head, crossing his arms over the trains and planes. "Wanna stay up with you and pop."

Richard tweaked him on the nose, "I'll make you a deal. I sing you a song and if you're still awake you can come down a watch a little TV with us, okay?"

Jason looked over at Kal-El who held his hands up. "I'm with daddy on this one. Here, let's get you under the blankets," he pulled the coverlet up to Jason's chest, navigating it around his reluctant arms.

"Okay." Jason pulled the blanket up over his shoulders, looking all the world like he was just humoring them.

Richard settled back against the headrest, his clear tenor filling the room.

"If I could, I would give you wings  
To lift you way up in the air  
So you would find the rainbow's end,  
'Cause wings would get you there."

Kal-El closed his eyes, carried away by the power that Richard exerted over the melody; he drew such beauty and depth from what, on the surface, was a simple tune. He adjusted his arm when he felt Jason snuggle closer.

"If I could, I would give you wings  
To carry you out of the storm  
They'd take you higher than the wind,  
Where you'd be safe and warm."

He felt Richard's eyes on him and softly added his bass to the next part, their voices tying together in perfect synchronicity and harmony, a duet they'd sung more than once before.

"Wings, little wings,  
Wings in the wink of an eye,  
Soon your little wings will be

Big enough to fly.

Soon your little wings will be

Big enough to fly."

They closed the door to the sound of Jason's soft breathing, sharing a secret smile and a stolen kiss that still tasted like the high air and their shared melody.


	5. Chapter 5: Skimming the Horizon

**Author's Note: **This chapter is really, really... random. And the first sentence of the second part is a challenge prompt from the November Slash Fanfiction Challenge over at the **srslash **community on LiveJournal. Which is maybe part of why it's random.

Anyway, I'd also like to say if anyone reading has any particular requests for a scene they'd like to see in this story, I'm totally open to suggestions/requests :) I figure it's been so random already that I could probably fit almost anything at this point.

* * *

"We need to find a new babysitter," Kal-El said forlornly, sliding the tie through his collar. "That last one Lois sent over did not agree with my hearing."

Richard slung his jacket over his shoulders, rummaging in the pockets to take out their tickets. He smiled. "You just thank your lucky stars you didn't go to high school in Metropolis. I was around girls like that every day."

Kal-El's expression was more than a little horrified. "I'll never complain about Smallville again."

Richard chuckled, grabbing his tie from where it hung on the mirror. "Like there's so much to complain about with that incredible mother of yours."

"She really is," Kal-El smiled fondly. "And I never had to suffer through a high-pitched babysitter because my parents were sure that I would accidentally rip the couch in half trying to impress her."

"They had a point." Richard lowered his eyes provocatively, "There was that one time you 'accidentally' refurbished the couch at my apartment."

"I didn't hear you complaining," Kal-El said, returning volley for volley. He raised a single dark eyebrow.

"Touché. Anyway," Richard said, turning pointedly back to the mirror because he was quite aware that they needed to be leaving in the next ten minutes, "I'd be fine with a new babysitter. And we have time to interview a few since Jason will be with Lois and Vince for the next three days." He paused mid-loop, index fingers clasped on the smooth black fabric, looking sidelong at Kal-El. "Only on one condition, though."

Kal-El's eyes widened as he slipped his glasses on, a perfect invocation of the Clark Kent Richard knew well and loved. "What?"

If there was one thing Richard couldn't resist, it was when the Clark Kent persona was genuine. He dropped the tie and walked over to put his hands over Kal-El's, both their ties now hanging half-finished.

"Kal… you can't stalk the babysitter."

"I—I don't know what you're talking about." Shuttered away in the glare of the glasses Kal-El's down-turned eyes wouldn't meet his.

"I know you just do it because you're concerned… but… not with the babysitters, Kal. I know I didn't say anything when you were doing it with Vince, but…"

Kal-El jumped on the topic, sensing an opening. "Of course I checked out the background of the man who would be caring for Jason!"

"Well…" Richard grimaced a bit. "Now I'm the pot calling the kettle black. But I did a background check—okay, I paid someone to do a very thorough one—and you knew things that weren't in any of those files."

"You hired an investigator?"

Richard shrugged, sheepish. "Well, like you said… I just wanted to be sure." He placed an inquiring finger on Kal-El's cheek. "And you?"

Kal-El threw his hands up in defeat. "You're right, you're right. I did." He grimaced a little, "One time I even got stuck following his plane all the way to Tokyo because I felt silly turning back. I didn't even notice until we were halfway across the Atlantic because I was so busy trying to figure out what exactly it _is_ that he does."

"And?" Richard asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Something involving 'familial multi-function happy pants fun time.'" He laughed at Richard's confused look. "It doesn't sound quite right translated from Japanese, does it?"

"I think I'll stick with robot-dog selling explanation, although the happy pants are an intriguing plot twist."

Kal-El's eyelids lowered and he hooked two fingers into Richard's belt loops. "They most certainly are."

"Kal…" Richard's tone was warning but not wholly resistant.

"I'm not allowed to compliment my business associate on his very stylish happy pants?" Kal-El asked innocently, grabbing a handful at the back of said pants.

"You can compliment me _after_ the play. But we need to be going—" He checked his watch and groaned.

"Right now?" Kal-El asked, more than a little dejected.

"Right now." Richard looked once more at his watch and then grabbed Kal-El for a hard and fast kiss, breathing hard even from the brief contact.

"Two hours. You know Perry will kill us if we don't go." One more kiss and he broke away, finishing his tie with unsteady fingers.

"Two hours," Kal-El grumbled. "But not a second longer."

Richard nodded, grinning. "And then I can show you just how happy you make my pants."

* * *

Their shoes pounded hard on the pavement as they ran from their pursuers, the soles smacking wet in the new rain. The women looking wildly behind them, eyes wide with fear as the two men gained on them, shouting curses and obscenities.

"Help!" One of the women screamed, tossing her purse back as if that might deter the men.

But, shockingly, the sound of their pursuers disappeared. When the women slowed and looked around trying to figure out what happened, they saw that Superman was holding the men like two sacks, hovering just above the streetlamps.

"Sorry about that." He nodded at them both, "Ma'am, ma'am. These two will be at the station waiting for you if you want to file a report against them," He watched them carefully to make sure they were alright and paid no mind to grungy men who were trying with utter futility to escape his grasp.

The women just watched him, mouths hanging open slightly.

"Well, if you'll excuse me—I think it's time that I took the trash out, don't you?" He flew off without waiting for a reply.

He went faster than strictly necessary, smiling inwardly when the men tried to conceal their airsickness, stumbling on the pavement in front of the police station. The officers on duty just took them in, no questions, knowing that Superman's track record for reported crimes was better than anyone they had on the force. One of the young rookies even saluted him.

On a whim, he saluted back, thinking maybe it wasn't so bad to get home late, after all.

He surveyed Metropolis with a keen eye, going over well-worn nuances and soaring on his habitual flight pattern. When he was satisfied that it had no more need of him right now, he turned towards the sea. The moon was at its zenith, cradled by a bed of indigo clouds that dissolved into the black and, paired with the veritable mass of twinkling stars that he could see with his sharp vision, it was a breathtaking sight. Knowing the way by sound, feel, and direction, he flew home on his back, his mind already ahead of him and with Richard.

Letting himself in through the skylight, he drifted down to the bedroom flow, tossing his cape onto the rack at the back of the closet door, kicking off his boots so they landed at the foot of the bed. He could hear Richard showering in the bathroom and shed his clothes on the way there.

He moved as quietly as possible, hoping to wash his hands before jumping in the shower because they still stunk of unwashed criminal. But even though he had seen that Richard's eyes were closed and he was turned towards the opposite wall, he wasn't surprised when he heard the familiar chuckle.

"Trying to sneak up on me again?"

"Always," Kal-El lathered at an inhuman speed, scrubbing hard, the scent of strawberry wafting into his nose.

The shower door slid open behind him. Looking up, Kal-El could see Richard's smiling face in the clouded mirror, plumes of steam billowing out to fill the whole bathroom.

"Why don't you sneak that fine stalker ass of yours over here?"

Kal-El threw the bar of soap at Richard who just laughed when it hit him, leaning back against the tiles and crossing his arms back over his head in a very blatant come-hither gesture.

All the comebacks Kal-El had been running through his mind about how Richard had just paid someone else to do his stalking flew right out of his mind when he took in the glorious sight before him. Richard's skin was warm and alive from the hot water, flushed and glistening in the bright lights of the bathroom. His abdominals flexed as he jutted his hips forward, a smile playing over his lips.

Kal-El swallowed up the distance in three long strides and fell to his knees, grabbed the other man's hips, and knowing exactly what we wanted, went for it no holds barred. He pressed Richard hard against the wall with his fervor, running his hands over every part of him that he could reach, humming low in his throat to the pitch he knew that unwound Richard every time. Sure enough, Richard's knees started to fold and he groaned with his whole body; Kal-El felt the vibrations pleasure in his mouth.

He placed a firm hand in the small of Richard's back and lost himself in the motion, hot water beating down on his back and the taste of Richard all he could focus on; he lost his mind and came to his senses.

"Kal… Kal…" Richard twined his fingers in Kal-El's wet hair, a low cry wracking his body when Kal-El snaked his remarkably strong tongue in an especially fine way.

"Get up here," he finally growled, hands clutching Kal-El's shoulders in a vice grip.

Kal-El complied with one last flick on his tongue, kissing his way up Richard, biting his nipples lightly and leaving a hot trail up Richard's neck.

"Christ, Kal, I want you," Richard whispered, holding Kal-El's face in his hands and locking their eyes, the blue fire of a comet snapping in the space between them, solar flares tingling on their skin. Kal-El very deliberately placed his hands on Richard's hips, his eyes still locked on the celestial beauty before him, lifting Richard so that they could close the unnecessary space between them, could share the fire and the light. The only thing that kept him anchored was the same as the only thing that let him fly: the knowledge in Richard's eyes. The knowledge of all that being Kal-El meant, of shame that came from being so much more and so much less than any man could want, of forced solitude and danger and never-ending uncertainty. And still Richard held, still Richard wrapped his hands around Kal-El's face and said he wanted him, still he kissed him and said without words that everything would be alright.

Locked in a sacred embrace, they skimmed the horizon line and together, discovered the stars.


	6. Chapter 6: David and Goliath

**Author: **This chapter was written for a holiday gift-fic request. Hope it's enjoyable:-)

* * *

"Cute?" Kal-El said, eyes wide as he backed up onto the counter, "There are a lot of words that spring to mind, Jason, but 'cute' is not one of them."

Jason tilted his head to the side, confused. "But, pop. Look at him." He held the furry rodent even closer to Kal.

"Okay. Yes. Cute. Very cute. Now if you could put him back in his cage," Kal said, straining even farther back, "that would be just swell."

"You sure you don't wanna hold Mr. Piddles?" Jason looked as if he couldn't fathom what wasn't appealing about the small mass of black hair and eyes he held in his palms.

"I just think Mr. Piddles would be happier inside his cage. He looks tired, don't you think?"

Jason held the rat up to his face; he didn't notice Kal shuddering as he squinted at Mr. Piddle's expressionless face. "Not really."

"Richard!" Kal exclaimed in relief, edging away from Jason and over to the doorway where Richard was hanging up his coat. "I was just telling Jason it's time to put Mr. Piddles back in the cage." Under his breath he added, "You let him buy a_ rat_?"

"What?" Richard said, undoing his ties, "He's cute."

"Cute." Kal looked like he was ready to have Richard committed right alongside Jason.

"Yeah." Richard smiled. "What, you don't think so, Kal?"

"Beady little eyes and an unhygienic mouth full of sharp teeth and rampant infections waiting to happen?" Kal shuddered again. "No."

"Daddy, can you help—" Jason squeaked, one of his hands on top of the cage and the other holding empty air. "Oops."

"Jason?" Kal said without turning around, "Please tell pop that Mr. Piddles is back inside his cage?"

Jason picked up the cage and walked over to them, holding it up. The shavings were piled high, the plastic container was brimming over with water, and the rat obstacle courses were set up and ready to go—but no Mr. Piddles inside to enjoy them.

Richard unbuttoned his cuffs and started to roll up his sleeves. "Well, Mr. Kent, it appears to me that we've got a rat hunt on our hands."

"Oh, God."

Richard blinked at Kal, cocking his head to side the same way he did when the crossword puzzle stumped him. "Let me get this straight. A speeding bullet, no problem. Flying faster than the speed of light and you don't break a sweat. But fuzzy pet rat and you—a Kansas farm boy—are suddenly taking the Lord's name in vain?"

Kal winced. "You won't tell my mom, will you?"

Richard laughed, giving him a quick kiss. "Your secret's safe with me, big guy."

Kal smiled, running his fingers along Richard's arm, from the elbow down along the sensitive forearm skin and lingering at his wrist for a few seconds, a promise for later that Richard acknowledged by lowering his lids halfway and smiling back.

"She did raise her boy better than that." Kal cleared his throat, stuffing his hand in his pocket and looking down into the vacant cage. "Guess we better get this little sucker before he spreads bubonic plague through Metropolis."

Jason tugged on Kal's shirt. "What's sabonic frague?"

"We'll tell you when you're older, kiddo." He crouched down, whispering, "But right now we're going to be vewy vewy quiet."

Jason whispered back, "Why, daddy?"

Richard gestured him even closer with his finger, "Because we're hunting a wat." But his eyes looking up at Kal were clearly asking him to use his super-hearing to locate their wayward pet, and he nodded, slipping back a few steps and focusing in, tuning out Richard and Jason's secretive whispers.

Kal heard the rat nibbling at some crumbs he'd found underneath the couch, those sharp little teeth making the most nail-on-chalkboards ugly sound as they made contact with each other. Rubbing a finger in his ear, he grimaced, pointing in the direction of the offensive sound.

"What's say we try looking under the couches, hmm?" Richard suggested and the three of them crawled over on their hands and knees, eyes wide on the lookout for wats.

Richard and Kal had agreed a long time ago that until Jason was older, and had a better understanding of himself, the world around him, and his own burgeoning Kryptonian heritage, that Kal wouldn't use too many power displays in front of him. Of course they weren't trying to hide Kal's—or Jason's—true nature, but they understood that he was still learning about cause and effect, why it is that A plus B would equal C. And seeing your father perform what seemed like magic on an everyday basis could skew one's perception of how the world operates, or so they theorized.

So there was a perfectly good reason why he didn't just lift up the couch and have the rat back in his cage in a split second. Perfectly good. And if he let Richard pick up Mr. Piddles while he held up the furniture, well, he had a reason for that, too. Namely that he was stronger and if Richard thought the little hellspawn was cute, then why shouldn't he be the one to pick it up? Perfectly reasonable.

And if he spent longer than he really needed to straighten out the couch, well, nothing strange about that. Wouldn't want Jason thinking that people just went around picking up couches for fun, willy-nilly.

"There we go." Richard said, clicking the bright red plastic of the cage top closed and brushing off his hands. "All safe and sound again."

Kal let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

* * *

"All I'm saying is I don't understand the need to domesticate animals that clearly have no place being domesticated." Kal took the top of the suit off in one fluid, cat-like motion, folding it "S" side up and laying it on top of the cape.

"I don't see how a dog is so different than a rat," Richard said, slipping his belt out of the loops and laying it on the back of the chair. "I mean, look at lab rats—why would they pick rats to experiment on if they weren't good for domestication?"

Kal's now bare chest expanded indignantly. "You can't compare a lab rat to Shelby."

"That's true." Richard started working the buttons on his shirt, mouth struggling not to pull up into a smirk, "But can't you at least give Mr. Piddles the benefit of the doubt?"

"Jason likes him that much?"

"Jason likes him that much."

"One week," Kal said, dropping his boots behind him. "But one more peep out of Mr. Piddles, and he's off to the lab to help find a cure for cancer, pet or no pet." When he straightened up, Richard was in front of him, shirt hanging open and hands reaching down to affix to Kal's hips.

"Now that's just not fair," He whispered, leaning forward, biting lightly at Kal's neck. "I thought we were supposed to go to bed early tonight."

"What?" Kal breathed, hands finding their way inside Richard's shirt, thumbs running along his ribs, following the lines and ridges of his back muscles and shoulder blades.

Richard smiled against his neck. "You know I can't resist it when you dispense justice like that."

"Well," Kal said, tempted to laugh but unwilling to do anything that would jeopardize the fascinating path that Richard's tongue was tracing on his skin, "We could nap. After the meeting. Eat a big breakfast, skip lunch."

Richard worked his way up to Kal's ear, "Mmmmmm."

Taking that as a yes, Kal slid his hands down and eased Richard closer, fire to fire, and he dipped his mouth to taste that fire, softly at first, and then kissing Richard over to the bed, their bare feet treading on each other and fingers mussing hair, pants slipping down their waists. They laughed when their noses knocked as they fell onto the bed, used to their lust-induced clumsiness by now. Richard extricated himself just long enough to stand up and discard his pants before crawling on top of Kal.

Kal licked a hot line across his lips; he never tired of the sight of Richard above him, like this, all the same qualities that made him successful at the Planet focused right here, right now, full force. Like the gentle way he could coax the real story even from the most reluctant source put to use as his fingers worked under the material of Kal's suit and persuaded the fabric off his skin, following each scratch of nail on Kal's skin up with a kiss. Or the iron-clad determination that had brought the International Section back to life sparking in his eyes as he tasted his way back up Kal, so slowly despite the insistence of Kal's hands on the small of his back, inciting madness at all the points where he slid their burning skin together.

Yet his determination fluttered, for just a second, when Kal angled his hips and slipped a leg up over Richard's back.

"You sure?" He asked, biting his lower lip; Kal could feel him straining to keep still. Kal smiled a little and, gripping tighter, surged up against Richard, letting his head fall back, pleased to hear Richard's moan matching his own.

"_Shit_," Richard hissed between his teeth, fumbling at the nightstand drawer while Kal continued to make it very difficult for him to focus.

"You're lucky you're invulnerable," Richard growled, throwing the bottle away from him and seizing Kal's mouth in his, dragging his nails down until his hand was resting underneath Kal's thigh, bracing himself. In contrast with the assault of Richard's mouth, he entered Kal slowly, like he didn't really believe Kal was invulnerable, like even if he did believe, he didn't want to treat him that way.

The rhythm was slow at first; they didn't do this often enough to fall into it easily, but with each kiss it felt more right, with each smooth glide of skin on skin they came closer and closer to each other until they moved in tandem. Kal breathed Richard in, running his hands up and down the other man's spine, through his hair, everywhere he could reach, unable to get enough, to feel enough, to ever know enough of Richard who every day, went through the madness of a double life with him, who stood behind him at every step of the way, even when he didn't know he needed it. Looking into Richard's eyes, he wanted to be in this moment forever, to hold Richard the way Richard always held him, to exist in a world where he would be allowed to.

But when Richard shook in his arms, shuddering deep inside him, Kal held him close. He knew that, right now, this was as close as he could get. Even he couldn't stop the world from going round.

But these moments were enough that he didn't want to.


End file.
